Saint Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles: Conversion, Mission, and Catholic Teaching in the NABRE
Saint Paul remains one of the most influential figures in Christian faith. His conversion from persecutor of Christians to missionary apostle reshaped the early Church and opened the Gospel to the Gentiles. For Catholics, Paul’s experience and teachings illuminate the nature of grace, justification, mission, and the visible reality of the Church as the body of Christ. The NABRE presents Paul’s letters as authoritative witnesses to how Christ’s life, death, and resurrection are believed, proclaimed, and lived within Christian communities. Paul’s transformation on the road to Damascus demonstrates that grace orders history toward a new creation; his subsequent journeys show how the Spirit forms a missionary Church that crosses cultural boundaries. Studying Paul helps Catholics understand the unity of the Scriptures, the apostolic witness, and the Church’s ongoing mission to bring the Gospel to every nation. From Romans and Corinthians to Galatians and Ephesians, Paul teaches the Church to persevere in faith, hope, and charity by grace.
Note: Saint Paul is not a deuterocanonical book. He is a canonical figure in the New Testament within the Catholic Bible, and his letters are foundational to Catholic doctrine. The term deuterocanonical applies to certain Old Testament books rather than to Paul or his writings.
What is Saint Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles?
Historical context: Paul of Tarsus was a Jewish-Christian thinker and missionary who played a pivotal role in spreading the Gospel to non-Jewish communities. Although not among the original twelve, he is universally acknowledged in the New Testament as an Apostle by divine calling and mission. His life and letters, especially in Acts and the Pauline Epistles, shaped early Christian theology, ecclesial structure, and missionary outreach. Authorial scope: the Catholic canon includes multiple letters attributed to Paul (Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, Philemon) with the pastoral Epistles (1 & 2 Timothy, Titus) sometimes debated in authorship. The Church treats these writings as canonical and authoritative for faith and morals. The Catholic Church emphasizes that Paul’s message aligns with the Church’s teaching on grace, justification, and the unity of Jews and Gentiles in Christ.
Most Important Verses from Saint Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles
Acts 9:3-4 — Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? This encounter marks the radical turning point of grace breaking into history. Catholic interpretation highlights how grace calls and transforms even the fiercest persecutor into a missionary of Christ.
Acts 9:15-16 — This man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles. The Church recognizes Paul’s vocation as integral to the universal mission entrusted to the apostles.
Galatians 1:15-16 — When God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me. Catholic exegesis sees this as the divine initiative that awakens a new vocation in Paul for the nations.
Romans 1:16 — I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. A foundational assertion for Catholic teaching on the universality of salvation through Christ.
Romans 3:28 — For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Catholic faith explains this as justification by grace through faith, active in cooperation with charity and transformation by the Spirit.
Romans 5:1 — Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. The Catholic reading emphasizes peace with God as the fruit of faith and grace in Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 — Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day. This core proclamation anchors Catholic apostolic preaching about the saving work of Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:17 — If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; everything old has passed away, see, new things have come. Catholics see this as the transformative effect of grace in the Church’s mission and personal sanctification.
Ephesians 2:8-9 — For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you, it is the gift of God; not by works, so that no one may boast. A key text for Catholic teaching on grace, faith, and salvation in Christ.
Philippians 3:14 — I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. Catholic exegesis highlights perseverance, hope, and the sanctifying goal of lifelong discipleship.
Paul’s writings are central to Catholic doctrine on salvation, grace, and the church’s mission. The Church teaches that justification is by grace through faith in Christ, active in baptism and participation in the life of the Church; good works proceed from faith, animated by charity, and enabled by grace. This aligns with the teaching of the Councils of Trent (rejecting sola fide and affirming the role of grace and transformation through the sacraments) and Vatican II ( Dei Verbum and Lumen Gentium) which affirm Scripture as the living Word of God entrusted to the Church and discuss the universal mission of the Gospel to all peoples. In dialogue with Protestant traditions, the Catholic Church holds that justification is by grace through faith expressed in love and obedience, not by faith alone apart from charity. Apologetics: when faced with denials of Pauline authorship or authority, point to the early Church’s acknowledgment of Paul as an Apostle, the universality of his mission, and the profound continuity of his message with the apostolic tradition, as evidenced in Acts 15 and Paul’s own letters and creedal forms in the early church.
This Book/Topic in Church History
Paul’s influence permeates Church history. Fathers such as Origen, Augustine, and Jerome engaged deeply with his letters, shaping exegesis, theology, and liturgical practice. The Church Fathers cited Paul to articulate justification, salvation, and the new covenant in Christ. The Council of Trent relied on Pauline language to guard against misinterpretations of justification and grace, while Vatican II reaffirmed the Pauline vocabulary of grace, faith, and the universal reach of the Gospel in Lumen Gentium and Dei Verbum. Saint Paul’s feast day on June 29 (within the Roman Rite) reflects his enduring role in the life of the Church. Popes and theologians—ranging from medieval to contemporary—have cited Paul as the model of missionary ardor, theological clarity, and sacramental life. The Catholic tradition continues to read Paul as a guide to discerning how Christ forms a people through the Spirit for the world.
Who was Saint Paul and why is he called Apostle to the Gentiles? Answer: Paul was a Jewish-Christian missionary who, through a dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus, became a key evangelist to non-Jews. He is called Apostle to the Gentiles because his mission primarily targeted Gentile communities, though he acknowledged the other apostles and his commission was from Christ.
Which books did Paul author in the New Testament? Answer: The Catholic Bible includes Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, Philemon, and possibly Hebrews (authorship of Hebrews is debated). The Pastoral Epistles (1&2 Timothy, Titus) are traditionally bundled with Pauline authorship in Catholic tradition, though authorship is debated among scholars.
How did Paul convert and begin his mission? Answer: He encountered the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus, received a call to proclaim Christ to the Gentiles, and began his missionary journeys described in Acts and expanded in his letters.
What does Paul teach about justification and faith? Answer: Paul emphasizes justification by grace through faith in Christ, a salvation that leads to transformation and active participation in the life of the Church and charitable works, interpreted within the Catholic understanding of faith working through charity.
Why is Paul important for Catholic teaching today? Answer: His letters illuminate key doctrines—grace, justification, the Church as the universal body of Christ, and the inclusion of Gentiles—forming a foundation for Catholic catechesis, sacraments, and moral life.
Prayer and reflection: O Saint Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles, you pressed on with zeal for Christ and the Church. Inspire me to live by faith, hope, and charity, and to bring the Gospel to every corner of the world, in union with the Spirit who empowers the Church. Amen.
Final verse: Philippians 4:13 — I can do all things in him who strengthens me.
Por Fernando Ortiz 
